Skeleton in the Closet
by Phantom Gypsy
Summary: Dr. Ni is bored. Again. So he's reverting to an old habit he has of screwing with people. In this case, it's Yaone. Rated for vulgar themes.
1. Just Another Game

Sinking into his usual seat, Jianyi marveled at how eerily quiet the laboratory was this morning. He flicked on the computer monitor, watching as the screen crackled to life, casting the only silvery-blue light into the dark room. His youkai assistant was still asleep in the corner, the metallic wires and head plates glinting in the faint glare of the screen. A whining hum filled the still air as the hard drive booted itself to life, still not having completely cooled down from its marathon usage only a few hours before. Jianyi leaned back in his cozy chair, reveling in the absolute quiet and the odd sense of freedom that came with it. Here in the dark, he could confess anything, do anything, be anything, with only the shadows to bear witness. It was the darkness that people entrusted their deepest secrets to, liberated from the scrutiny of others, freed by the sense that there were no walls or limits; just infinite black that faded into nothing, awaiting the guilty pleas of the world. The ultimate closet full of skeletons.

With a smug grin creasing his lips, Jianyi's dark eyes slid over to the stuffed rabbit sitting beside the monitor.

"Do you think it's because no one's awake this morning?" he mused. "Or is it that they are awake, and don't want to admit it?"

The bunny stared back with that curly smile and beady little eyes that were too small for its round head. The scientist let out a theatrical sigh.

"It's so boring around here. But that's what happens when everything goes 'according to plan.' Because without the occasional stumbling block, life becomes tedious and dull. And, to top it all off, lady Gyokumen has been in such a foul mood lately. Pity."

The stuffed toy watched lifelessly as Jianyi pulled a cigarette from his lab coat and lit it, the soft click of the lighter seeming to echo for miles in the vast darkness of the room. After the first lungful of sweet nicotine, Jianyi deviously eyed the rabbit, the dark thoughts in his mind reflected in the lenses of his glasses.

"So…"

He gently reached for the stuffed animal, holding it delicately as though it were made of glass instead of cotton. "What shall we do today?"

He took the cigarette from his lips and pressed the smoldering tip into the bunny's forehead, just between the eyes. Pleased with himself, Jianyi set the toy back on the desk and grinned at his makeshift black chakra.

* * *

Dokugakuji buried his face in his massive hands in an effort to hide his tormented expression from the world. He had come here to the outdoor balcony in hopes that fresh air and watching the dawning sun would help to calm his racing mind. Instead, he'd discovered that there was no way to escape the troubled thoughts that plagued him night and day. Unlike every other foe he had ever faced, he could neither defeat nor flee from himself and it was beginning to take its toll. He rarely ate and hardly ever slept these days, consumed by the onslaught of questions that swirled around in his head; what had they done with Kougaiji? Would he be all right? What was Gyokumen planning now? Why had Ni's team chosen to act now? What if they—

"Here." He peeked between his fingers. Someone had set down a cup of steaming tea on the table. "It'll help."

_Of course it will._ Doku let his hands slip away from his face and gratefully grabbed the small cup, sparing Yaone a muted grin. There wasn't an ailment out there that Yaone couldn't cure, even when the illness had nothing to do with the body.

"What's it supposed to do?" he asked.

She sat down across from him, resting her chin in a cupped hand. "It calms the nervous system. Should help you to relax."

Peering down into the tea, Doku closed his eyes and grinned. "Thanks, Yaone." The golden-orange of the sunrise cast an electrifying light on her deep violet hair, making her big, amber eyes stand out even more, if that was possible. "How are you holding up?"

She shrugged. "I've been better. I wish they would let me see Lady Lirin. Just so I could know she's all right."

"I'm sure she is. She's Lady Koushou's daughter, after all."

Yaone snorted. "That doesn't mean much. All that woman thinks about is Gyumaoh and reviving Gyumaoh and obtaining the scriptures for Gyumaoh. She'd probably eat Lirin if the experiments called for it." Doku winced. "Well, it's true!"

Whatever Yaone said after that was lost to Doku, though he thought he heard her mutter something that rhymed with "witch."

"Yeah, I know. It's just…it's all so confusing," Doku mumbled and kept his gaze in the depths of his tea, away from his comrade's pitiful eyes. "I mean, I know we're supposed to help Kou but…what if Kou isn't Kou anymore? If they've made him a slave to Lady Koushou, then where does that leave us?"

Yaone's eyes fell to the tabletop and her voice was barely a whisper. "We become expendable."

"I agree with you, Yaone. I don't want to become just another mindless minion of theirs. Not Ni's, not Koushou, not anyone. I'm here for Kougaiji."

"And what did Lord Kougaiji want us to do?" Those droplets of amber hardened into fierce stones. "If he were still with us, he'd try to find a way to revive his mother. He'd keep us all together as a team and he'd track down the other scriptures. Wouldn't he?"

Doku nodded, feeling like a small child in school. "But Yaone—"

"He'll come back to us." Doku froze. Her voice was trembling. "He has to come back to us. Lord Kougaiji would never abandon us like this. And I refuse to abandon him."

The silence that engulfed the air was oppressive, weighing down on them both like an iron cloak. Doku ran a hand over his face again. How was it possible that such things like words and thoughts and silence could be so debilitating?

The stomping of boots brought his attention back to the terrestrial realm. Looking down the ramp that led up to the balcony, he saw a small squad of six or so men marching towards them, faces as blank as if they were carved from stone. He exchanged a quick glance with Yaone and they both stood.

"Can we help you gentlemen?" Whatever wavering had been in her tone earlier had vanished completely, replaced by a venomous sting that clipped her words.

The leader of the group motioned for the others to continue forward. "Forgive the intrusion, but Dr. Ni has requested your presence."

Doku saw one of the guards raise a fist. "Hey! Wait!"

Before either of them had time to react, the detachment had swarmed the alchemist, subduing her with a few well-placed punches before tying her hands in a strangely beautiful tape.

"Bastards!" Doku hissed. "What the hell is all this about? All you had to do was ask!"

Yaone looked up at her friend with calm eyes, blood dripping from the corner of her lips. "It's all right, Dokugakuji. Knowing Ni, it's just another one of his games."

Doku frowned, his giant hands clenched into fists. "And how the hell does that make it 'all right?'"

The men ushered her away with newfound urgency, leaving Doku to answer his own question as he watched the violet tails of her hair blow in the wind until she faded from view

* * *

**A/N: Ah, this is going to be fun ^_^ I personally enjoy writing out Ni's contemplative moments. They're so profound, it's a challenge to describe what goes on inside that man's head with only as many words are allowed in a cohesive sentence. **

**Hope you enjoy! More to come! =) **


	2. Give Bunny A Kiss

**A/N: **

**Since I didn't specify before, this is supposed to take place not long after they steal Kougaiji for brainwashing. Just FYI ^_^**

* * *

With her hands still bound behind her back, the guards escorted Yaone down into the dark laboratory that was the pit of Hotou castle. As they descended down the dank stairwell, the stale air wafted up to her nose, and she could smell sour chemicals and noxious fumes that made her stomach turn; fallouts, she was sure, of experiments that she'd rather not know about.

The stairway opened up into a dim room with entire walls made of computer screens, each one displaying the pixilated image of a hallway, room, chamber, or even the barren perimeters of the castle. Tile floors reflected the glowing light from the screens and a cool breeze sank from the vents in the ceiling, making goosebumps rise on her skin.

_His very own cave_, Yaone thought bitterly.

The frown on her face darkened when she saw that white lab coat hanging from the sides of his chair, his black hair silhouetted by the glowing computer monitor he said in front of. And he was coddling that stupid bunny again.

"Thank you, gentlemen," Jianyi cooed, never turning around to face them. "You've been a great help."

"Is this really necessary, Ni?" Yaone twisted her wrists, halfheartedly hoping the bonds would come undone. The guards around her shifted uncomfortably.

The scientist wheeled around slowly and let his dark eyes rove over her from head to toe, a measly cigarette barely dangling from his grinning mouth.

"Of course not," he said smoothly. "I just like the way it looks."

"You're sick."

He chuckled and raised up his stuffed rabbit, using his hand to manipulate the toy's head. "You may leave us now, gentlemen."

The guards did as they were told and for a fleeting moment, a part of Yaone wanted to cry out and stop them; to yell at them not to leave her alone. In the end, though, her pride got the better of her and she stayed silent, glowering at the band-aid plastered to Jianyi's forehead.

"What are you up to, Ni?" she asked coldly.

Jianyi tilted his head to the side. "Whatever do you mean?"

"It can't be anything good."

"Honestly, I was just looking for some company," he drawled. "It gets awfully lonely down here."

"What's wrong?" she sneered. "A little bored with your bunny?"

"Well, he's certainly not as pretty to look at."

Yaone grimaced, realizing she was stepping right into his territory. Thinking fast, she unconsciously checked her bonds again and tried to change the subject. "Why do you carry that thing around anyway?"

Jianyi held up the toy again. "Because it's cute."

Yaone rolled her eyes. Insufferable didn't even begin to describe him. Glancing up at one of the monitors on the wall, she caught a glimpse of a familiar face looking unusually peaceful in a sea of bubbles that surrounded him. It looked as if he was floating in some tall tank of liquid, connected to the glass walls by a series of wires and cables that were embedded into his tanned skin.

"Kougaiji."

Jianyi followed her gaze to the screen and smirked. "Ah, yes. Lord Kougaiji. I forget…it's been a while since you've seen him, hasn't it?"

"What are you doing to him?"

Jianyi blew out a steady stream of smoke from his nose. "Perfecting him." Yaone turned her wicked glare back to the scientist. "No offense or anything, but if we'd kept on entrusting the four of you with the task of retrieving the Maten scripture, we might've been here for another 500 years. As you can imagine, Lady Koushou wouldn't stand for that at all, so I'm simply speeding things up a bit."

"How so?"

"Well, it's obvious that Lord Kougaiji could never overpower the Sanzo party as he currently is. None of you could. But the thing that hinders him the most is his compassionate nature. Simply put, he cares too much. He gets too emotionally involved and it inhibits his ability to fight with his true potential. I guess you could say that we're removing that oversized heart of his and replacing it with an immense power. When all is said and done, he'll be the perfect weapon for obtaining the scripture."

Yaone continued to stare at the screen, feeling as though her ribs were tightening in on her wildly pulsating heart.

"Oh, that's right, I forgot," Jianyi's subtle grin widened. "How terribly upsetting this must be for you to hear, since you're in love with him, aren't you?"

"No."

"No? But what's not to love? He's strong and handsome and saved you from a horrible fate. Doesn't that define a knight in shining armor?"

"I'm his ally and friend," Yaone struggled to keep her voice still. "He made it clear from the beginning that there was no romantic notion behind any of it."

"Ah, I see. How sad." Jianyi stood and sauntered over to the demon, dark eyes swirling with twisted intent. "The ever-loyal servant, admiring from afar, her love unrequited."

"Stop it, Ni."

"And here I was preaching about how kindhearted he was, when in truth, he is capable of wounding others. And to think he could be so cruel to something so beautiful."

He reached up and stroked her jaw, callous fingers tracing the soft, porcelain skin of her neck. Yaone jerked back, fire flashing in her eyes.

"Lord Kougaiji is not the monster you want him to be, or you wouldn't have to be doing this experiment at all," she hissed. "He would never hurt any of us."

"Really? You think so?" Jianyi began circling her again. "True enough, he may never raise a fist against any of you, but you can't deny the way he keeps himself so distant, so detached. I've seen the way he sends you off as a babysitter for Lirin, discarding you the minute you return to the castle after one of your journeys. And how he abandons the three of you to seek out his own battles. It would seem Lord Kougaiji could really care less if any of you were there at all…in fact, I'd say that he'd prefer you weren't. And to know that you're unwanted, that you're dispensable to him…that must hurt."

Somewhere along the line, Jianyi had ditched the cigarette and was now nuzzling her neckline, letting the prickly stubble of his chin graze her fair skin. Yaone jerked away again, this time letting a tear shake loose from her dark golden eyes.

"Aw, you poor thing," Jianyi glided in front of her, hiding his face behind the stuffed rabbit. "Here, let bunny kiss it and make it all better."

Yaone turned her head away from the toy, glaring dangerously at the tufts of black hair she could see behind it. Without warning, she lashed out at him, kicking a well-aimed knee at his groin. To her surprise, he swiftly sidestepped it and she only managed to make his lab coat flutter.

Jianyi giggled. "My, my, aren't we feisty?"

"Untie me. It gets better."

"Oh, I don't doubt that at all."

Something in his voice made her step back. He stepped forward with his hands casually buried in his pockets and his black eyes mocking her every move. She retreated with each advance he made until she was backed against a wall and his dark grin was only inches from her face. Leaning over her, he brought his lips to her ear and whispered,

"But it will make it easier."

* * *

**A/N: I'm sure I'll think of what I wanted to say here after I've posted this...oh well. **


	3. Playthings

**A/N: Sick, dirty, twisted, clever Ni. I love it. **

* * *

He was thinking about kissing her.

She could read it in that twisted little grin and the way his eyes flickered from her lips and downwards to her neck. Yaone braced herself, nearly bearing her teeth in preparation to bite off his tongue as soon as she had the chance.

He moved closer, their noses almost touching and she tried not to recoil at the sight of him. His breath stank of ashes, his glasses had filmed over with the constant blue haze of cigarette smoke, and that sparse, black stubble on his chin reminded her of the fine hairs on fly's legs. Dr. Ni was without doubt, the most disgusting human she had ever met.

A slender finger slipped under the hem of her stockings, pulled, and then let it snap loudly against her thigh.

"Actually, my dearest Yaone," he purred, "I have a favor to ask of you."

"The answer's no."

He let out a disappointed little grunt and started to walk back to his desk. "Oh. That's a shame. Well then, I suppose Lady Lirin will just have to endure without the anesthetic."

A small gasp escaped Yaone and she cursed the way it seemed to echo in the tiled room, no doubt making Ni smile as the sound reached his ears. Her promise to Kougaiji had been absolute; to protect Lirin at all times.

…_he sends you off as a babysitter, discarding you…_

Yaone chased away the scientist's words, convincing herself that Kougaiji had never discarded her. No. He had entrusted her. And she would not betray his faith in her now.

"Where is Lady Lirin?"

Jianyi sat down in his chair, crossing one leg over the other. "Haven't you noticed how quiet the castle is without her? It's been so nice."

"Ni, where is—?"

He turned the bunny towards her. "We're sorry, but the number you've dialed is disconnected, or no longer in service. You may hang up or press one for more options."

"Dammit, Ni! What have you done with Lirin?"

He finally poked his head out from behind the rabbit, grinning at the heated blush in her cheeks.

"Well, what happens to Lirin depends on how cooperative you want to be."

She opened her mouth to speak, then suddenly noticed the fuzzy, dark image on one of the screens. Yaone could recognize that golden-orange hair anywhere, having spent the better portion of her days chasing it around the castle. Lirin looked as if she were peacefully sleeping, her usual clothes replaced by a tattered white rag that barely covered her. Around her midsection was a heavy-looking black belt that kept her tethered to the table she was lying on.

"See?" Jianyi admired the monitor thoughtfully, its pixilated light reflecting off his glasses. "She's fine. I promise she's in good hands."

"You bastard," Yaone growled. "Why are you doing this? And what does it have to do with me?"

"You see, I'm in need of your expertise. I suppose I could have Dr. Hwang formulate it herself, but the woman is no doctor and I'd hate to think of what kind of side effects would arise out of such an ignorant experiment. Lady Lirin is too precious of a test subject to put through such risky procedures. I need you to put Lirin in a drug-induced coma for me."

He let his request hang in the air for a moment, eyeing her with that sneaky little grin. His request didn't surprise Yaone, but she wondered why he was acting so smug when he had no bargaining chip.

"It looks like you've already done that."

"Oh, no. Things aren't always what they seem." He flicked a button on the keyboard, zooming in on Lirin's face until it filled the screen from corner to corner. "She's only sedated for the time being."

Yaone's eyes narrowed and she waited for the scientist to continue.

"Now that things are progressing smoothly with Lord Kougaiji, we're taking this chance to embark Lady Lirin on her own adventure. It's about time she contributed to her father's revival, don't you think?" He picked up the rabbit again, holding it delicately from the back of its head. "Let's put it this way: If you comply and help me to place in her a coma, her contribution will help to ease the experiment for everyone. Lirin will sink into a peaceful sleep and Lady Koushou will be satisfied with our headway, which means I'll be happy as well. Very happy."

Yaone shivered at the thought, goose bumps prickling the back of her throat and making her want to gag.

"But if you don't wish to help us, then the consequences could be severe. Without stemming the activity in her brain, Lady Lirin would succumb to great, agonizing pain." He tightened his grip around the rabbit's throat, squeezing harder and harder until Yaone could see the seams threatening to burst from the round head. "Her brain would most likely swell, paralyzing her within her own body. Like a balloon, her skull will get bigger and bigger and bigger, until finally…"

He let the rabbit fall to the ground, then turned his gaze back to Yaone.

"Pop goes the weasel."

Yaone glared at him. _So that was his bargaining chip_. She knew full well why patients were placed into medically induced comas, including what happened when such decisions went wrong. What frustrated her most was that Jianyi was right; it _would_ save Lirin's life, but it would also work to his advantage; something Yaone would avoid at all costs.

"What 'contribution' are you talking about?" she asked. "What exactly are you planning to do with her?"

"With Lady Koushou? Well, first, she always prefers to play with my tie—"

"Cut it out, Ni!" Yaone tried to break her bonds again, to no avail.

Jianyi giggled. "In the end, the brat will be sacrificed." He savored the horrified expression on her face, his own complacent grin never wavering. "So it'd be best if she never knew what's coming. Right?"

The youkai couldn't breathe, strangled by the fury that was choking off the obscene nicknames she had prepared for him. Her amber eyes were alight with daggers that she tried to drill into Jianyi's head.

"And they call us demons," she snarled. "You son of a bitch. We're not one of your laboratory toys! You can't just offer up Lady Lirin and Lord Kougaiji like bait for that whore Koushou!"

"It's imperative for the revival of Gyumaoh. Honest."

"Imperative my ass. The two of you are just scheming for a way to be rid of us! No! No, I'll never do it! I'll never let you go through with this!"

Jianyi stood, slid his hands into his coat pockets, and sauntered over to Yaone. "I was hoping you'd say that."

Perhaps it was her boiling rage that immobilized her, or perhaps she had seen it coming a long time ago and had simply given up trying to stall it. Regardless, Yaone braced herself as Jianyi pinned her to the wall with his own body, sinking his lips into her neck. He could taste the fear permeating through her skin; a sickly sweetness not unlike blood.

"I know you can do it, Yaone," he whispered into her ear. "It's a simple potion, isn't it?"

Yaone tried to kick, but he only pressed harder against her, immobilizing her with his chest. The prickly hairs on his chin grazed her neck almost painfully, before his wet, sloppy lips smoothed over the angry red marks his stubble had left behind.

Reaching behind her, he let his hands slide over her exposed thighs and then grabbed each of her wrists.

"If you can't obtain the Maten scripture," he mumbled, letting his tongue dance on her jaw, "then the least you could do is donate your services."

Yaone felt him pulling on her wrists, slowly prying them apart until she thought her arms would snap before the bonds would give way. Shouting a wordless, agonizing cry, Yaone threw her head back against the wall. This time, she didn't try to stop the flow of tears that dribbled down her chin.

Just as her scream reached a piercing new note, the restraints split and Jianyi threw her arms above her head, pulling back to look at the limp plaything before him.

Smirking, he leaned in and barely brushed his lips against hers. Confused at the ghostly kiss, Yaone frowned and looked up through his lenses, into those dark, glimmering eyes.

"Don't tell me you're broken already," he cooed. "We were having so much fun, weren't we, bunny?"

Yaone glanced past the deranged scientist. The abandoned stuffed rabbit was still lying on the floor, bathed in the light of the computer screens that beheld the images of Kougaiji and Lirin. Somewhere in the back of her mind, she realized that she was going to lose this battle either way.

* * *

**A/N: What? You guys think Ni's the bad guy in this? Oh, come on. Yaone's just asking for it in those clothes of hers. **


	4. In The End

**A/N: Two updates in one day! Woo, I'm on a roll! =) **

* * *

"I'll admit, I'm surprised you'd choose this," Jianyi said softly. "This is a phobia of yours, isn't it?"

"Being this close to you would be anyone's phobia," Yaone spat.

He sighed and released one of her hands so that he could comb one of her long, violet ponytails, letting his fingers run through its length.

"I guess what they say is true. The prettiest flower you want to pick is always the most poisonous."

Yaone lashed out with her free hand, striking Jianyi alongside the face and digging her claws in for good measure. It was enough time to dart out from beneath him and she started to run for the door, each little square tile on the floor feeling as though it were a mile long.

She yelped, feeling something tug snuggly around her waist, preventing her from escaping. Wheeling around, she saw Jianyi grinning, holding one tail end of her lilac obi as if it were a leash.

He yanked it hard, throwing her off balance, and slung her into the desk, sending a mess of pens and papers through the air. She landed on a keyboard, wincing at the sound of the buttons crunching beneath her head. Before she could get up again, Jianyi had her trapped beneath him, one knee shoved between her legs and each of her wrists locked in his iron grip.

"Just remember," he said, bending over her until his lips were moving against hers, "that you chose this."

Yaone writhed beneath him at first, whining as his mouth claimed victory over her own. The sour whiff of cigarette smoke smothered her lungs and she almost retched at the taste of his tongue delving deep down her throat.

He let one of her hands go again, creeping his way down until he reached the chain girdles on her thighs. He had only a moment to undo the links before Yaone grabbed his scrawny throat and tried to push him off, summoning a feral strength from deep within.

Jianyi couldn't help but admire the way her hair splayed out around her face, the fierce struggle for her pride and dignity playing out on her scrunched, tear-stained face. When he grew tired of her attempts to shove him away, he rammed his knee into her and all of the air in her lungs escaped in a single gasp.

In one swift motion, Jianyi reached for one of the pens in his lab pocket, clicked open the tip, and slammed it down into Yaone's open palm, impaling the soft skin in a spray of blood.

The youkai screamed, a fresh wave of tears trickling down the raised lines left by the bulging veins her neck. Jianyi plunged back onto her lips, harshly biting down on the tender skin even as she continued to bellow at the ceiling. Now that she was crippled beneath him, he undid the other chain girdle and let his hands roam over her torso.

"Ni, stop!" she whimpered, tasting the bitter iron of blood from where he had bitten down on her lip. "Please, stop!"

Jianyi grinned, his mouth curling against her collarbone. Pushing himself off of her, the scientist reveled in the way her eyes were shut in pain, squeezing tear after sparkling tear from the edges of her lashes.

"What was that?"

"Please…stop. I'll do it…just please…don't…"

Still smiling, Jianyi started to back away, making Yaone shudder at the sudden movement.

"Of course you will," he said and bent over to pick up the stuffed bunny. "Because in the end, you will always choose your own pride, forsaking your friends for your ego. You'd rather die for some misplaced sense of dignity, than live to defend your comrades." He let out an exaggerated gasp. "What would Lord Kougaiji think if he knew he had such traitorous followers? And Lirin—it's no wonder she's running away from you all the time."

Yaone stumbled to her feet, clutching her injured hand to her chest. Jianyi's dark eyes slid over to her. She reminded him of some wretched statue, standing lopsided, ready to topple over at any moment, with tears and blood staining her beautiful skin while the lilac waistband flowed around her and trailed onto the ground. _Like some angel cast from the heavens and damned by the earth. _

He glanced down at the pen in his hand, then held it up in front of the rabbit's face. "Oh, look, bunny. We've broken another pen. That was my favorite one, too."

Yaone staggered to the door, a grey fuzziness beginning to cloud her mind and blur her vision.

"Oh, Yaone," he called after her. "Do try to have that elixir ready by the end of the week. I trust you now understand what the terms are?"

Yaone said nothing. Using the last of her strength, she wrenched open the door and left the laboratory, leaving the mad scientist surrounded by smears of blood and scattered papers.

Sparing a glance at the demolished keyboard, Jianyi smirked. He set down the rabbit on the desk and took out a cigarette. The mix of nicotine smoke and the lingering traces of her blood on his lips made for an interesting taste.

"Though," he told the rabbit, "if she ever forgets, I wouldn't mind having to remind her."

* * *

_Several Days Later..._

"Yaone?"

Dokugakuji peered around the doorway, frowning when he spotted her sitting behind what looked like a bar, though instead of drinks, there was a variety of chopped plants scattered across the table and colorful, steaming liquids bubbling forth from several hanging cauldrons. A thick, ancient-looking book was spread before her and she frowned at its tiny, flowing script, never bothering to look up at her youkai friend.

"Can I come in?" Doku asked again, taking another step into the small room.

"Sure."

That was all she said. She kept her head bowed in her work, except for when she moved across the room to take a clipping from another plant or fetch a small vial from one of the dusty shelves. Doku stood awkwardly in the middle of the cellar. He couldn't see it, but he sure could feel the black thundercloud hanging over the room.

"Is…is everything ok?"

Yaone dumped a small handful of leaves into a cauldron, her face as cold as ice. "Everything's fine."

Unconvinced, he walked further into the room, trying to catch a glimpse of her face through the pillars of smoke. He stopped short when he saw the white bandage around her hand and the dark scab at the corner of her mouth.

"What happened? What's wrong with your hand?"

"Nothing. I cut it."

"Bullshit." The word caught her attention. "You'd have to be more than a bit sloppy to cut yourself that badly, and I've never known you to be careless with a knife. If something's wrong, why can't you tell me?" She ignored him and flipped through the pages of her alchemy book. A little perturbed, Doku circled around to her side of the table. "What did Ni want?" He drew in a sharp breath. "Did he do this? Yaone, did he—"

"I told you, Ni just likes to play games. It's nothing to worry about."

"You can't just let him get away with this, Yaone! Why—"

She wheeled on him so fast he jumped in surprise. "Doku!" she snapped. "Please, I'm very busy. So I'd appreciate it if you would leave."

Stunned, Doku stared at her dumbly, jaw hanging slack. After a long moment, when he couldn't take her glaring at him anymore, Doku turned and left, his thudding footsteps on the wooden floor accentuating the absolute silence. He slammed the door behind him. Yaone winced, hating herself for inflicting such hurt and confusion, especially since now, Doku was the only one left.

_Because in the end, you will always choose your own pride, forsaking your friends for your ego._

Sliding to the ground, Yaone buried her face in her palms and wept until the gauze on her hand had swollen with the weight of her tears.

* * *

**A/N: Ni's such a sadist. **

**Yeah, I think we'll call that finished. Just needed to get it out of my system. I hope you guys, er-enjoyed-it? Is enjoyed the right word? Well, if you did, then that's just sick...just like Ni. **

**xD Thanks for reading! **


End file.
